1 9 2 5 2 4 9

ISSN 1348-7906

July
2007 No. 249

390

Mr. SATOH Yuji and Marine

First Time Ever in Japan

a Cancer-Sniffing Dog!

Collectors Keep
Old Records
Spinning in Tokyo

St. Sugar, Cancer Sniffing Dog Training Center

Mr. SATOH Yuji and Marine

First Time Ever in Japan

a Cancer-Sniffing Dog!

n the seashore at Shirahama, Chiba prefecture, a

soothing sea breeze is blowing in. On the beach is an
amazing dog that has the ability to sniff out the smell
of human cancer. The dogs name is Marine, a 5-year-old
female black Labrador Retriever. Marine looks like a normal
dog, but why can she discover cancer? Her cancer sniffing
ability is attracting attention from the medical community as
she has the ability to play a significant role in future cancer
treatment.

SATOH Yuji, a head trainer at the Center, recalled what a

hospital director once told him: Cancer has a special smell.
Satoh realized that Marines sniffing ability was far greater than
that of other Labrador Retrievers.
It made him think that perhaps
Marine could sniff out things that
had been digested in human bodies, and might even be able to discover the presence of illnesses.

Marine was trained at St. Sugar, Cancer Sniffing Dog

Training Center, which is located near the beach at Shirahama.
When training takes place, the loud barking of some 40 dogs
can be heard from the Center. These dogs are being trained on
a daily basis to become welfare dogs such as cancer-sniffing
dogs, and to be actively integrated into human society.

40

Marine was trained as a search and rescue

dog. She received attention from the media
and appeared on TV demonstrating her ability
to sniff out dead bodies that had been lying on
the ocean floor or decomposing in the forest.
Marines abilities, however, are not limited.

Satoh began training Marine to

become a cancer-sniffing dog. In
the training process, Satoh would
have Marine sniff meats, vegetables,
fruit and many other objects, especially things with less obvious smells
such as cucumbers, which are very
difficult to identify by smell. Then

Satoh would hide the same

objects in the same quantities
under rocks along the coast
and make Marine search for
them. A dogs ability to concentrate during training is
about 15 minutes at a time.
Taking frequent breaks, Satoh
continued to train the dogs.

15

Then, Satoh captured the breath of a cancer patient, and

made Marine sniff it. Sitting on the floor quietly, Marine
sniffed it. Under Satohs direction, Marine sniffed five boxes
containing five different breath samples. Only one bag contained a breath sample from the cancer patient.

Now, Marine will sniff out and stop at a completely sealed

bag containing a breath sample from a cancer patient with
a success rate of almost 100%. Among the 40 dogs in training, there are only two that are on a fast-track special training course to become cancer-sniffing dogs like Marine: Shell
and Pearl. Even among dogs of the same Labrador Retriever
breed, depending on their different DNA, some have the ability to sniff out diseases, and others do not.

Seems Inc. www.seems-inc.com/

100%40

30

DNA

Satoh was once a dog breeder. He has worked with about

1,000 dogs in the past and
Satoh never makes training manuals for
says, I deal with them feeling
the dogs. He keeps training the dogs as
that they are the best partners.
he plays around with them, and he enjoys
The trust between dogs and
spending time with the canines. He says,
people is the most important
When there are 10 dogs, there are 10 difthing. According to Satoh, if
ferent characters. Their actions vary every
the owners of the dogs are not
day. The dogs never act according to what
good people, the dogs do not
is written in manuals. It is us, humans, who
grow up to become good dogs.
need to change our thinking and react flexHe also claims, Dogs like
ibly according to changes in the dogs.
humans. They are important
Shell (left) and Pearl (right)

animals that are friendly and

coexist with us. Dogs are great

observers of humans.
10 10

1,000

Now, a company called

Seems Inc., which develops
sensor devices to discover
breast cancer, has started
collaborating with the
Center to produce a sensor
that imitates Marines olfactory senses. If their
test operations succeed, the results will surely
bring a ray of hope to the medical industry.

Satohs dog training might sound simple, but it is

actually hard work. Satoh
recalls, At first, I could not
collect breath samples of
cancer patients. I tried and
went around explaining what
we do to more than 30 hospitals, but they all declined

to provide us with sample
breaths stating that they can
not disclose personal inforMarine playing with a dog trainer

mation. Satoh, however,

went on to train the dogs for

this innovative new development.

St. Sugar www.stsugar.com

Topics & Events

Mountain Opening to Climbers Mt. Fuji Climbing Season to Start

To mark the opening of the Mt.

Fuji climbing season, an event
will take place in Fujinomiya City,
a Mt. Fuji town, in Shizuoka
prefecture. The event will start
with Purifying at Wakutama
pond in Sengen Shrine around
midnight (time not yet fixed) and
more events will follow including
a declaration that the mountain is
open to climbers, a Japan-England
Friendship Exchange meeting that
includes a welcome of guest British
embassy staff, a Miss Mt. Fuji
contest, and fireworks.

July l
Fujinomiya-shi, Shizuoka-ken
Inquiries: Fujinomiya Sightseeing Association
1

Tel: 0544-2-5240

Topics & Events

Kusatsu Yoitoko!! Two-Day Walk

This is a two-day walking rally held at Kusatsu, a world famous

hot spring in Gunma prefecture. On the first day, the Shirane and
Yoshigadaira course is covered where you will enjoy riding in a
cable car and admiring the beautiful nature of the Shirane mountains,
known for their masses of dicentra. The second day is for the
Kusatsu hot spring course. This time you will have well and truly
soaked up the unique atmosphere of Kusatsu, which is reflected
through the song Kusatsu yoitoko, ichido wa oide (Kusatsu is
a very nice place, you should visit at least once). Each course has
walking tracks of different lengths.

3
July  ~ ,
Kusatsu-machi, Agatsuma-gun, Gunma-ken
Participation fee: Adults 2,000 yen,
Students under high school age 500 yen
Inquiries: Kusatsu yoitoko!! Two-Day Walk
Executive Committee
  
2,000 500

Tel: 029--1

Topics & Events

Sunflower Festival

Sunflower Town is an event that lends a

poetic charm to early summer in the town of
Nogi in Tochigi prefecture. In the main ground,
nearly 170,000 sunflowers are blooming on
three hectares. Among the many sunflowers
on view, you can admire hybrid flowers and a
special variety called ruby eclipse. Within
the town there are 700,000 sunflowers in full
bloom. During the Sunflower Town event,
visitors are able to enjoy a large sunflower
maze, a product exhibition, a concert by
elementary and junior high school students, a
bingo game, a character show, a popular music
show and many other attractions.

17

July 25~29
Nogi-machi, Shimotsuga-gun, Tochigi-ken
Sunflower Big Maze fee: 200 yen for elementary students and above
Inquiries: Nogi-machi Tourist Association
 25 29

200

70

Tel: 020-5-4153

Topics & Events

2007
International Tokyo Toy Show 2007

14
The 14th Tokyo International Book Fair

45

360

6 30

7 1 2 7 4,281

Yes 5

30 770

1 4

This is the 45th time Japans biggest toy show has benn held.
Many domestic and overseas companies will be participating
in it. This years theme is 360 angle Entertainment! Not only
toys but also games, fancy products, clothes for babies and kids,
amusement machines and kids products will be exhibited and
sold. The show will run between June 30 and July l. Last year
74,28l visitors attended over the two days. Events on stage will
include Yes! Precure 5 and Ultra hero. Held at Tokyo Big
Site West Hall 1 ~ 4. Admission free.

7 8

1 2 1,200

This is the biggest book fair held in Japan, where 770

publishing companies from 30 countries will be participating
in a large hall. Materials such as publications, publishing
related services, educational software, a new teaching system
for schools and cram schools, various teaching materials,
digital media, etc. will all be on show. Many visitors from
bookstores, libraries and schools throughout Japan as well as
participants from overseas publishing companies and general
readers will be visiting the fair. Open to general public: July
7 ~ 8. Many books from a wide variety of genres will be sold
at discount rates. Held at Tokyo Big Site West Hall 1 and 2.
Admission fee: 1,200 yen.
www.tibf.jp

www.toys.or.jp/toyshow2007/

July Issue Contents 7

COVER STORY  3-5

TIPS FOR LEARNING JAPANESE

TOPICS & EVENTS  6-11

SPECIAL REPORT  25-27

CHALLENGE!!  12-13

INTERNATIONAL COUPLE SCENE

PARODY TALK  14-15

 28-29

DO AS JAPANESE DO  16

HIRA-TAI FORUM  30

Insight into Japan Japanology Textbook

VISA Q&A Q&A31

 17-24

MY JAPAN  32

JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES

NEW TREND 33

CLOSE UP JAPAN

SUBCULTURE  34-35

TIPS FOR LIVING IN JAPAN

HOT SPOT  36-37

JAPANESE HISTORY MAKERS

JAPAN QUIZ 38

The unauthorized reproduction, photocopying or copying of articles or photographs appearing in this magazine is strictly prohibited.

Publisher & Editor: HASEGAWA KatsuyukiAssistant Editors: Jonathon WALSH, SHIBASAKI AkemiIllustrations: YOSHIDA ShinkoDTP: NAKADA Natsuko

Topics & Events

Measure Your Waist in the Toilet

Ramen Now Comes in a Can!

420 210

UMAI

300

While the dieting industry continues to boom, a new

product has gone on sale that helps people monitor their
weight toilet paper with a measuring scale. Many women
are concerned about their body-lines, particularly their
waist-lines, but with this toilet paper they can measure their
waists secretly and accurately. A measuring scale showing
centimeters is printed on the toilet paper. Furthermore, simple
Yoga in the Toilet exercises that you can practice in the
toilet are also printed on the toilet paper. This toilet paper can
actually promote better health. The boxed toilet paper product
is 420 yen and the paper wrapped product is 210 yen. Sold by
Hayashi paper-manufacturing company.

Ramen is the favorite food of many Japanese. Canned

ramen has recently hit the market. Food planning and
development company UMAI and a ramen shop in
Shinjuku called Menya Musashi originally planned canned
ramen to be used as emergency food in case of earthquakes
and other disasters, but they have found the product has sold
unexpectedly well though vending machines, general stores
and discount shops. The noodles are made of konnyaku, a
jelly-like food made from the starch of devils tongue.
Canned noodles can be eaten without pouring boiling water
over them. Miso (soybean paste) and shouyu (soybean sauce)
flavored canned ramen are available. Sold for approximately
300 yen each at stores.

www.hayashi-paper.com/

http://can82.jp Mobile site

June 25

10

Please keep in mind that articles printed in Hiragana Times may be published without notice in PDF format,
on the Hiragana Times website, in other media related to Hiragana Times and possibly by third party media approved by Hiragana Times.
PDF Web Hiragana Times Hiragana Times

Topics & Events

Vegan Restaurant Pocketguide

50

A Journey to the World of Ninja and Kengo

A Guide to the Kansai Area

1,575

The old outdated public image of Japan being one of the

worst destinations in the world for vegetarians seems to still
be held by both visiting and resident foreign vegetarians. In
fact, there is a variety of specialized restaurants in Japans
big cities including Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka that treat vegans
from the heart and serve delicious food. This pocket guide
was created based on feedback from the author who actually
visited restaurants, ate the food and talked to staff. The guide
book contains information about approximately 50 vegan
and vegetarian restaurants, menus, maps and pictures of the
restaurant interiors and dishes. Written in both Japanese and
English by Herwin WALRAVENS. 1,575 yen.
www.childrenofthecarrot.info

2,500

Present for Three people

Ninja and samurai are well

known around the world. Among these two aspects of
Japanese heritage, ninja have always been very popular and
there are many movies in which ninja play an active part, and
also comic books and games in which ninja are the heroes.
Ninja didnt live in a fantasy world, but actually used to exist
and participate actively behind the scenes in the past in Japan.
The guide book introduces history, historic spots and oral
traditions about Iga and Koga ninja, and also great swordsmen
like MIYAMOTO Musashi. In both Japanese and English.
Published by Uniplan. Edited by John EINARSEN/UnioCorporation. 2,500 yen.

11

Creating
an Eco-Friendly
Office

hile former U.S. vice president Al GOREs Oscar

winning documentary feature An Inconvenient
Truth switched on a lot of lights in peoples
minds about the dangers that unchecked climate change could
wreck upon the world, ironically, the solution to combating
this grave threat lies partly in turning more lights off.

Heres a 5-step strategy to slash business costs, reduce waste,

and make your company more environmentally friendly.

1)

2) E

Re-think Packaging

- Purchase office beverage supplies (coffee, tea, sugar, milk,

etc.) in bulk. Try to avoid buying single-serve items such
as individually-wrapped teabags, spoons, coffee and sugar
sachets.
- Switch from disposable cups to reusable cups and glasses.
- Choose packaging that can be recycled.
- Ask suppliers to take unwanted packaging back for reuse.

Think Before you Print

A good first step is to change to using recycled or chlorinefree paper. Another way that businesses can reduce stationery
and printing costs is to encourage staff to think before they
print 1/ Do you really need to print?, and 2/ Can you use the
Internet or e-mail instead?

Text: Jonathon WALSH

12

Purchasing Power

- Can equipment be leased, shared or swapped instead of purchased?

- Does the product have a sleep mode for when it is not
being used?
- Is upgrading, reconditioning or extending the useful life of
our current model a better option?
- Can it be easily repaired or upgraded?
- Can this product be recycled, sold or donated when it is finished with?

Dim the Lights on Your Power Bill

- Look for opportunities to maximize natural light by positioning sitting areas in places that receive the most natural light.
- Avoid overheating in summer months by making better use
of trees, blinds, etc.
- Since about half the light from a fluorescent lighting tube is
absorbed by the inside of the fitting, install reflectors into fittings to redirect light.
- Use energy efficient light bulbs where possible and clean fittings regularly.
- Install occupancy sensors in rooms that are infrequently
used, such as toilets, store rooms, etc.

Encourage Energy Saving Behavior

Switch off lights in meeting rooms and other rooms that are
only used for short periods, and to make sure all computers
and other office equipment are turned off when they are not
being used. Other effective techniques to save energy include
ensuring energy-saving features are installed on PCs, printers
and photocopiers, using blinds to reduce keep out the heat in
summer and cut air conditioning costs, and using the stairs
instead of the elevator.

Simply by establishing a few easy-to-follow guidelines,

management can encourage staff to become more environmentally aware, and cut costs and increase profits in the process.

With thanks to Sustainable Business Networkwww.sustainable.org.nz

13

by Hiragana Times CIA

Insurance Companies Only Want Excellent Customers

Many cases of nonpayment by insurance
companies have recently come to light in
Japan. Hiragana Times CIA interviewed
business insurance expert Mr. URANO
Ta d a s h i , w h o i s a l s o t h e d i r e c t o r o f
Association of Medical Victims, about the
situation.

Hiragana Times CIA

CIA: The number of cases where insurance has not been

paid by life insurance companies is now said to be more than
one million, and cases of nonpayment by non-life insurance
companies number almost 400,000. How come?
Dir.: Most people take out policies with insurance companies
with the vague idea that their life and/or assets will be covered
by their insurance if something goes wrong. However, in the
contracts customers sign, there are many clauses containing
special policy conditions that prevent the insurance companies
from having to pay out.

CIA 100 40

CIA: What clauses are these?

Dir.: As an example, if you buy insurance that will refund
you for the treatment you receive at a hospital even after
hospitalization, they may not pay you unless you apply for
the payment. Another example is insurance policies that

EN
FLAT TOKYO
03-3288-2355 info@mmtl.jp www.mmtl.jp
No key money, guarantor, agent fee required.
Utility expenses included in most rooms.
Fully furnished and internet access.
Apartment: 115,000month
Guesthouse: 59,000month

Yotsuya (easy access to Shinjuku and Tokyo.

Waseda House (near Waseda university and Shinjuku )
Waseda Residence (near Mejiro sta. high grade apt.)
Yoga apartment (11min from Shibuya to ya sta)
We are an apartment and guesthouse agency,
providing accommodation the center of Tokyo since 2003.

14

boast that no prior medical checks are necessary. They then

wont pay you when you do get sick because they will claim
that you were sick before you purchased the insurance.
Although many people believe that their insurance will cover
them fully if they buy insurance that stresses it will cover
cancer, myocardial infarction and cerebral embolism, etc., a
loophole may be written into the contract saying something
like You will be paid when you are diagnosed with the
condition that has restricted you from working for more than
60 days.

CIA

60

CIA: But no one will buy insurance after having read the thick

CIACynically Insulting Agency

contract information written in small print, will they?

Dir.: Thats right. Companies are doing their best to ensure
they do not have to pay out on insurance claims. Even if you
are paying for insurance that guarantees, for example, that
your family will receive some ten million yen when you die,
when you reach 60 years old, the coverage will be reduced
to only two or three million yen. It means that the higher the
possibility there is of you dying, the less likely the insurance
company is to pay the insurance.

involved in accidents are not good for

the insurance companies. The companies
do not need this kind of customers. They
only want excellent customers who never
get sick, who never get involved in accidents,
but who just silently keep paying their insurance
premiums that keep swelling the profits of the
insurance companies.

CIA

Comment from CIA CIA

Not only insurance companies, but also other medical
businesses need to be structurally reformed. There are doctors
who treat patients little by little charging every time, and give
dying patients lots of medicine or life-prolonging injections
in order to earn more money from them. Human beings have
made remarkable progress in medical treatments to fight HIV,
however, on the other hand some pharmaceutical companies
abandon patients who cannot afford to buy such medicines
due to high prices and are subsequently left to die. Everybody,
please remember! medical treatment is not for helping
those in need; rather it is a business that profits from helpless
people.

CIA

CIA: I wonder if the sales staff of insurance companies

explain these things to their customers?
Dir.: As you know, insurance companies are always recruiting
new sales staff. What the companies expect from newcomers
is that they will recruit only their relatives who will likely not
ask too many questions about the insurance policy conditions.
Also, the companies take into account as a matter of course
that the sales employees will quit soon after being recruited.
So, the insurance companies will never explain the clauses in
great detail.

200 300

James

60

CIA

CIA: But wont customers who are badly treated cancel their
insurance policies?
Dir.: This is better for the insurance companies. Actually,
they want this to happen. Listen! People who get sick or are

15

A Shop where any Product can be Purchased for

Only l00 yen
100

At the peak of Japans bubble economy around 1990, it was said

that commodity prices in the country were the the highest in the world.
But after the bubble burst, Japan began to suffer from a deflationary
economy, and now subsequently, prices for many products seem to be
cheaper than those in other developed countries. The shop symbolic
of this trend is called the 100 Yen Shop. Many of these stores have
opened in Japan and they are thriving. At 100 yen shops, you can buy
almost any product for just 100 yen. They sell an abundance of products
ranging from stationery, underwear and health goods, to wall clocks and
food, and many of them are reasonably good quality.

16

100

100

Recently, many people have begun visiting 100 yen shops first, and
then they will go to other shops if they cannot find what they are looking
for. In fact, most products at 100 yen shops are so cheap that it may
puzzle you as to how they can supply them at such an incredibly low
price. Therefore, once you drop into a 100 yen shop, you will be tempted
to buy many products you see because they are only 100 yen. This
means that when you leave the shop, you may end up with far more
products than you originally intended to buy. Interestingly, this may well
be their aim.

1990

100

100

100

No. 016

Japanese are Good

at Innovation, not Invention

How is it that an island with such poor resources could

achieve such remarkable economic growth? One of the major
reasons for this is that Japanese are experts in creating good
products. It is safe to say that Japanese are not generally good
at inventing great products that change society such as cars
and televisions, but that they have great talent in innovation,
particularly in skillfully miniaturizing products.
Automaker Toyota, which started out manufacturing small
cars and later became a global household name, and Sony,
which enjoyed great success in miniaturizing audio equipment
such as Walkmans, are two good examples of the Japanese
way of creating original products by innovating existing
products. Common characteristics of innovative Japanese
products are their ease of use and efficiency. It can be said that
the best-kept secret behind the success of Japanese products is
quality control.
Japanese enterprises thoroughly adopted the idea of total
quality management (TQM), an innovative system advocated
by an American, Professor William DEMING, after World
War II and built trust in made-in-Japan products through
their strong focus on quality. Furthermore, they focused on
kaizen (improvement). It is not an exaggeration to say that
the success of Toyota is owed greatly to this kaizen. The
term kaizen is now used worldwide.
Japanese have proved that it is possible to succeed by
improving work processes and adding value despite lack
of originality. You could say that the skill of creating better
products by improving them is a distinctive Japanese
characteristic.

kaizen

17

The United States Permits its People

to Possess Guns, But ...

On April 16, 2007, a Korean student fired at random and

killed 32 students at Virginia Technical College in the U.S.A.
The next day in Japan, the mayor of Nagasaki was shot and
killed by a gangster, and in Machida city, Tokyo, another
gangster fired a gun at a police car and hid in a house. There
have been many gun tragedies up to this point including
the Colombine High School incident, and the Hattori
incident, among others.
Surprisingly, after the incident occurred in Virginia, people
came out in strong opposition to gun control. Many insisted
that fewer students would have been killed if only they had
carried guns. They appear to be emphasizing the fact that the
American Constitution guarantees that Americans are able
to possess guns, and have been able to since the countrys
foundation. It is understandable that in the time of the pioneers,
people had to rely on guns when local security was poor.

18

2007 4 16

32

However, the Constitution states the following: A well

regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free
state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not
be infringed. You will see that the interpretation of militia
has been changed to that of citizen. This is a very similar
situation to how the Japanese Constitution bans the possession
of armed forces, however it has been interpreted to allow the
country to possess a Self Defense Force.

USA is Extraordinarily Nervous About

Nuclear Proliferation
Behind this news, it has become known that American
politicians and the National Rifle Association (NRA), which
has the slogan Guns dont kill people. People kill people
and also the Gun Owners of America (GOA), are in each
others pockets. Seventy percent of murders in America are
caused by guns. That is more than 200 times higher than
the murder rate in Japan where the possession of guns is
forbidden. And when considering the ratio of gun-related
murders to population in both countries, it is still more than
100 times higher. It is apparent that possessing guns is more
dangerous than not possessing them.
Among developed countries, America is the easiest country
in which people can purchase firearms. Many Americans use
the logic that possessing guns is necessary in order for them to
protect themselves since guns are already widespread among
mafia and terrorist groups. Although it can be said that this is
their own fault, it might affect countries where the possession of
guns is forbidden, that is, where the gangsters of such countries
have obtained guns and threaten the lives of their citizens.

200 100

America is now extraordinarily nervous about nuclear

proliferation. If American logic is followed, any country will
have the right as a matter of course to possess nuclear weapons
to protect their people, and this will then lead to the logic that,
Nuclear weapons dont kill people. People kill people. The
U.S.A. should learn from Sword Hunting, the gathering up
of all swords except those of samurai , accomplished by general
TOYOTOMI Hideyoshi about 400 years ago and realize that
now they should carry out Gun Hunting.

400

19

How you Refer to a Person in Japan Depends on

Your Personal Relationship with the Speaker

In Japan, when you call or refer to someone in daily life,

it is common to do so by adding san after his or her family
name, such as SUZUKI-san. However, this suffix differs
according to the personal relationship between the speaker,
and the location. In the office, it is customary to call a person
according to his or her title, such as Kachou (Section
Chief), Buchou (Department Manager) or Shachou
(President). Many people refer to their subordinates as kun,
such as Suzuki-kun besides calling them by their position
name.

When people call their male co-workers, they usually add

kun or san after his or her family name, such as Suzukikun or Suzuki-san. Otherwise they simply call them by
their family name, such as Suzuki. However, most people
refer to female co-workers whether they are subordinates
or co-workers as, for example, Suzuki-san, ie: by adding
san after her family name. There are no distinct regulations

Hir@gana Times Friends

Hir@gana Times
Friends

www.hiraganatimes.com
20

for the use of suffixes after peoples names. The terms a

person uses really depends on how the speaker sees the person
he or she is referring to.
As for foreigners who are not familiar with Japanese
customs such as these, it is not rude to add san after the
family name when calling their superiors. However, Japanese
will feel uncomfortable when they call a superior by their
first name, ie: Ken, which is more in line with western
practices. Although the foreigner in question may well want to
demonstrate a certain level of intimacy, Japanese will take it
as being too much, so it is better not to refer to people by their
first names in the office.

When do you use san, kun and chan ?

Outside the office, when a male calls a male friend, it is
appropriate for each to refer to the other by only using the
family name and not adding san. Young people prefer to
call each other by their first names, ie: Ken. When a female
calls a female friend, many will do so by only using the first
name, such as Yumi, or by adding chan after the first
name to make Yumi-chan. Between couples, however, most
call each other by the first name.
Children are commonly referred to by their first names
with the addition of chan whether they are boys or girls like
Ken-chan and Yumi-chan. Their names are sometimes
shortened for smoother pronounciation. For example, the
name Takuya becomes Taku-chan. As for boys, instead of
adding chan, some people refer to them by adding kun, ie:
Takuya-kun.

Generally, a wife of another person is called Oku-san

(Mrs.), and a husband of another person is called Dannasan (Mr.). When you introduce your wife to others, there are
several ways to refer to her including Kanai, Kami-san,
Tsuma, Nyoubo and in the Kansai area, Yome-han is
commonly used. When you introduce your husband to others,
many people use terms such as Shujin, Danna and Otto.

21

Echigo

Japan Sea

UESUGI Kenshin

A Warlord who Fought only for Justice

in Wartime

Kawanakajima

Shinano

UESUGI Kenshin

TAKEDA Shingen

In the 16th century when rival warlords were fighting,

strong warlords all over Japan had a desire to unify the
country and subsequently fought each other. Among them
UESUGI Kenshin (1530~1578), a warlord in the Echigo
region (present day Niigata prefecture), was skilled at battle
and had won almost all of the 70 battles he had fought.
However, he had never fought to further his own ambitions
including to expand his territory. The pious Shingen hated
fighting, but instead made a fortune by creating special
clothing using local materials for the market.
Speaking of Kenshin, all Japanese recall the famous
Battle of Kawanakajima. This conflict started in 1553 when
TAKEDA Shingen, a warlord in Kai (present day Yamanashi
prefecture) who had ambitions to expand his territory, invaded
the northern part of the Shinano region (present day Nagano
prefecture) located in south of Kenshins territory of Echigo.
Kenshin had been asked by the heads of powerful families in
Shinano for help. At that time Takedas army was considered
to be the strongest in Japan. Both fought five times at
Kawanakajima (in Shinano), but neither army won the battles.

ODA Nobunaga

16

1530

1578 70

1553

22

In this era, besides Kenshin and Shingen, there was another

strong warlord. He was ODA Nobunaga, a feudal lord who
ruled the small region of Owari (present day Aichi prefecture).

Kai

With his genius strategy, Nobunaga expanded his territory

piece by piece. Nobunaga was afraid of Kenshin who fought
in order to maintain peace and order and who was respected
by many other warlords. Nobunaga sent presents to Kenshin
and formed an alliance with him on the understanding that
he would protect the Muromachi shogunate (Kyoto), which
Kensin supported and whose power was fading away.

Sending Salt to the Enemy

After that, Nobunaga and Shingen, both of whom were
aiming to unify Japan, had a showdown at an area that is now
Shizuoka. However, an unexpected ending was to befall them.
Shingen died from disease just before the big battle. After
defeating Takedas army with a new weaponthe firearm
that he possessed in massive numbers, Nobunaga secretly
urged Kensins subordinates to switch their allegiance and
join him. After learning of this, Kenshin became furious and
started to attack Odas army. Then, both armies came face-toface near Tedori River (present day Ishikawa prefecture).
Kenshin had his forces attack Nobunagas firearm-equipped
army on a rainy night when Nobunagas men couldn't use
their guns, and won a great victory. However, in 1578 while
Kenshin was preparing to advance against Nobunagas forces,
he became ill and died, and fate began to favor Nobunaga.
Lots of anecdotes about Kenshin were left behind. One
well-known story was that he sent salt to his long-standing
enemy Shingen whose territories were far from the sea and
were lacking salt. So, Sending salt to the enemy became
a proverb. It is used even now in situations where One will
help ones enemy when they are in trouble.
Before Shingen died, he left his will to his son Katsuyori
After I die, rely on Kenshin. He has a keen sense of
fatherhood, so he will never let you down if he is asked. On
the other hand, when Kenshin heard of the death of Shingen
while dining at a table, he dropped his chopsticks and burst
into tears, saying He was a great man. Furthermore, when
his subordinate said, Now is the best time for us to attack
Takedas territory, Kenshin said It is a shame and rejected
the idea. Kenshin died at the age of 48.

( )

1578

48

Correction On the top line this page in last months issue, the words, Gunma prefecture should have read Tochigi prefecture.
We apologize for any confusion caused.

23

[
In January 2007, HIGASHIKOKUBARU Hideo, a former
entertainer, was elected as governor of Miyazaki prefecture.
It is believed that his speech, Miyazaki wo dogenka sen to
ikan (We must do something for Miyazaki), spoken in the
local dialect to citizens of the prefecture during the election
campaign, played a big role in his surprise victory. Ex-Prime
Minister, TANAKA Kakuei also skillfully used his Niigata
dialect in his speeches and subsequently attracted voters. In
the movie Hula Girl, which was shown in the summer of
2006, actors and actresses spoke in the Fukushima dialect,
which was successfully used to provide a distinctive flavor to
the movie, and played a part in the good reviews of the movie.
There are dialects everywhere in Japan. Take for example,
Ookini which means Thank you in Kansai dialect and
is used in the Osaka area. Oideyasu means Welcome
in Kyoto dialect. These dialects are used by people of these
regions on a daily basis.

Dialects Create Familiarity

and Softens Speech

2007 1

2006

Dialects help to create familiarity. They vary by region, but

you can roughly guess which region the person comes from
by his or her dialect. In the best-selling mystery book Suna 100
no Utsuwa (A sand container, written by MATSUMOTO

Seichou) that sold more than one million copies, a dialect was

used as the key to solve the case.

In the various regions of Japan, dialects are used by citizens

in their daily lives, but the media uses the Tokyo dialect as
the standard dialect of Japan. Therefore, foreigners will not
have any difficulties being understood by Japanese if they
are learning the standard Tokyo dialect. Considering that
English has now become the standard world language due to
globalization and other reasons, the Japanese language still
has its own role, so dialects should also be respected as part of
the characteristics of local culture.

Audio Version Information

Features

Annual Subscription
Fee: 6,000 yen (available only for a 1-year
subscription period.)

6,000

24

E nglish and Japanese are recorded in alternative order sentence by sentence. This
means you will be able to understand them
even without using a textbook.
Texts are recorded a little slower but still
close to normal speaking speed, so they will
be easy to listen to and will be ideal for those
people wanting to learn Japanese and/or
English.
You will be able to directly listen to recordings
on your PC, or download them on your iPod
and other mobile devices.

 iPod

Social Welfare Corporation, Silver Wing

Foreign Women Home

Helpers Supporting Japans
Welfare Community

ow was it? says MOTOYAMA Roselle, a

Philippino woman working as a home helper
at a special Tokyo nursing home for the elderly
called Silver Wing as she talks cheerfully to an elderly
woman she is bathing. Philippino women are known
for their caring nursing skills and have subsequently
become vital laborers in Japans welfare nursing
industry.

signed an agreement starting with the Philippines to accept

Philippino caregivers into Japan.

There are thought to be more than 200

Philippino residents working in welfare/nursing communities in metropolitan Tokyo.
Three Philippino women, MOTOYAMA Roselle,
MIYASHITA Eileen and Cielo NACPIL work at
Silver Wing, all of whom have Home Helper Grade 2
certificates and who are married to Japanese men and
raising families in Japan.

Japan faces an urgent need to cover

growing labor shortages in a society
that is graying at an alarming rate. The
Philippines, in contrast, has a strong record
of sending its own laborers to work as caregivers in foreign countries, and with the stable pay offered by
many positions, it is considered a popular occupation. When
both governments realized their needs could be met, Japan

200

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25

It is a tiring job, but its fun! says Roselle, who has lived
in Japan for 12 years. She came to Japan as a dancer at first.
When she was dancing for shows at night, the pace of her life
was different from that of her husband,
and she used to regularly get worn out,
both physically and mentally. It was
then that her Philippino friend at her
workplace told her about home helper
jobs. She subsequently decided to study
for the certificate.

Roselle sings Japanese childrens songs from time to time

with the elderly people. Likable and charming, she is very
popular at Silver Wing. Some elderly users of the day service
call up in advance to make sure she is there. When they find
she is not, they are often disappointed and complain in a
good-natured manner.

After attending school and studying

for four months, she obtained her certifCielo
icate. She never has a problem in every
day conversation, although she says,
Learning kanji is still hard. She was dispatched to Silver
Wing right away, and has now been working there for one
year. Philippinos are known to live in big families. Roselle
says, Those elderly people are like my own grandmothers
and grandfathers.

26

Eileen also says that elderly

people are like my own
family. The main job of the
home helpers is to assist the
elderly to take baths. There
are three types of bathing
services. This includes one
Eileen
where comparatively healthy

elderly people are washed,

one called chair bathing for users who have difficulty
walking, and bed bathing for handicapped people.

Roselle

12

These home helpers assist 30 to 40 elderly people to bath

from nine in the morning until four in the afternoon. Bathing
is seemingly harder work than helping people eat or go to the
toilet. Cielo never misses applying cold pads when she goes
to bed at the end of the day, and her tenontothecitis is chronic.
Nevertheless, to make her job more stable, Cielo hopes to

Jazz concert scene

study more and acquire Home Helper certificate Grade 1 and

gain more experience in the field.

30 40

Silver Wing provides services such as long stays, day services (where facilities are used during daytime only), short
stays and emergency stays. With a variety of recreational
activities such as music concerts and games, the number of
users is high.

nication with the family. It is good work.

SEKIGUCHI Yukari
SEKIGUCHI Yukari, the vice manager

of Silver Wing comments appreciatively,
Those women have great communication skills with the
Japanese staff and they really work hard.

Some elderly have difficult moods. The staff say that there
are about one in 10 people who get mad and hysterical to prevent being bathed. However, the professional home helpers
have good team work skills and react with kindness to elderly
people experiencing stress. Roselle says, The job is hard and
not so highly paid, but considering the stability it brings to
life, this is much better. I would not like to go back to my former night job.

10

Now, at a time when supply and demand of workers is not

well balanced, considering the lack of Japans welfare caregivers, it is inevitable that more Philippinos will be hired
to work in Japans welfare industry in future. Women like
Roselle are pioneers in their field and model case studies that
demonstrate how the home help services provided by foreign
caregivers can work.

All three Philippine women who work at Silver Wing

think alike when they say, the home helpers job gives an
orderly structure to our lives, and a good amount of commu-

Social Welfare Corporation, Silver Wing www.silver-w.jp/

27

The International Couple Scene

Jon & Harumi

Fate Brought Couple Together

hen a young New Zealand man experienced the

scenic wonders of Norway in the early 1960s,
little did he know it would set the stage for his
future sons marriage to a Japanese woman almost 40 years
later.

1960

40

Fast forward to 1989 when the mans youngest son, Jon,

answered a penfriend advert from a Norwegian girl called
Magni. Jons enthusiasm for Norway fostered by his father
s experience there led the two to become close friends.
Then, in 1995, Magni introduced Jon to a Japanese girl called
Harumi and the pair soon formed a purely platonic relationship as penfriends. But when Jon was working in the UK in
1997 & 1998, their friendship began to take on a more romantic edge despite the fact they had never met.

1989

1995

1997 1998

28

The death of Jons father in

1998 and his mother in 1999 led
him to resign and return home to
Auckland where, not wanting to
Jon with Magni
return to work immediately, he

took off on a 4-month backpacking adventure around Asia. When he landed in Tokyo in July
1999, Jon and Harumi finally met for the first time.

1998 1999

1999 7

The attraction was strong and two weeks later the pair
announced their new relationship to Harumis parents. Jon
returned to NZ, and after a few trips back and forth to each
others countries including 6 months Harumi lived in NZ in
2001, Jon moved to Japan in March 2002 and they married the
following year.

2001

Harumis parents had a lot of trouble accepting me, I think

partly because they were worried their daughter may leave
Japan, and whether I could support her wherever we lived, Jon
recalls. But this all changed after
the couple held their wedding ceremony in Auckland in 2004, and he
now enjoys a good relationship with
them.

2004

Every day we are teachers and students, Jon says about

the highlights of a mixed relationship. We learn and teach
each other about our respective cultures, countries and languages it is incredibly stimulating. With a same-culture relationship you only have to learn about your partners personality, but in an international relationship you also have to
learn about a whole new culture, which makes every day
like the Discovery Channel. It is almost like going
back to school all over again.

2002 3

With two cultures, two

countries and two languages,
we have double the flexibility
of same-culture couples, says
Jon, who now works as a writer. We have houses in two
countries, as well as double the opportunities available for
future childrens education, holidays, investing and eventual
retirement it is great!

Harumi says the main difficulties of living

together at the start were that she had to take
more responsibility for her foreign partner and
cope with pressure from her parents. Jon says commitment
and sheer bloody-minded determination were crucial to overcoming these challenges. Also, pretending you dont have a
Plan B makes you much more determined to make sure Plan A
works.

Text: Matthew DAVIDSON

29

INTERNATIONAL GRASS-ROOTS

HIRA-TAI FORUM
being discriminated
against. When I met
my friend at the
coffee shop, I told
her about it. She
said that the girl was
distributing packs of
tissue paper.

A Little Mystery in a City

Text: Jean ARDANT (France)

Soon after I came to Japan, I arranged to meet my Japanese

friend at a coffee shop near a large train station. I saw a young
girl distributing plastic-wrapped packs to people walking by
in front of the station. I was curious as to what was inside
them. As I wanted to get one, I walked slowly toward the girl,
but she looked away and ignored me.

Looking back at her, I saw her continuing to distribute the

pack with a smile to a passerby who came by after me. But
he didnt take it and ignored her instead. After taking a closer
look, I found there were some who took the pack, and others
who didnt. As I walked on wondering about it, another girl
who was distributing plastic-wrapped packs came into view.

She also told me that an advert was either printed on the

pack or inserted inside it. The reason I was not offered a pack
by the girls was because the company sponsoring the advert
was not promoting itself to foreigners. Now I understand.
Some days later, when I had a cold, I happened to see
someone distributing packs of tissue paper. Since I inevitably
wanted one, I stretched out my hand. Then, she gave it to me
with a smile. What a nice country!

I took more and more interest in the situation and walked

by the girl, but she didnt offer a pack to me. I was offended
by this. She gave it to Japanese but not to me. I wondered
whether it was because I am a foreigner. If so, I must be

Caluculate Anything
www.calculator.com
The many calculators on this site will help you do standard
calculations, calculate percentages, currencies, temperatures,
feet/inches, areas, and even tell you the chances of your having a
successful relationship with that special person in your life!

30

Immigration Lawyer
Overseas Law Firm Training in England and Germany for two years
Office: 3-15-14-302 Higashi Ikebukuro Toshima-ku, Tokyo

Please Advise me About

Permanent Residence in the
Case I Obtain a Job After
Studying in Japan

3-15-14-302
TEL: 03-3985-4661FAX: 03-3985-4662
E-mail: kurokawa-office@mbg.nifty.com
www.kurokawa-office.com

According to the Immigration Law, the

required conditions are as follows: The behavior
of the person must be good, The person must
possess property or suitable ability to make an
independent living and The permanent residence of the person must bring benefit to Japan.
These conditions will be judged from specific points of view,
but as for the term they will be judged as follows.

(l) In regard to your present status of residence, you must have

been staying in Japan under a visa that authorizes the longest
term of residence. In your case, it is necessary that threeyear-stay is permitted against your visa of Specialist in
Humanities/International Services.

KUROKAWA Koji

It has been ten years since I came to Japan. After studying at a Japanese language school and graduating from
a university, I obtained a job in a trading company. At
present, my visa status is Specialist in Humanities/
International Services. I have heard there is a possibility
that I will be able to obtain permanent residence. Please
explain this, in particular about term of residence.

10

10

(2) The person must have been staying in Japan for more than
10 consecutive years. In your case, you have been in Japan for
at least 10 years, but those who have changed their visa status
from a Pre-College Student Visa or College Student Visa to
a Working Visa are required to have been in Japan for more
than five years after the change of visa. After checking your
compliance with this condition, we advise you to consider
when to apply for permanent residence.

10

10

(3) Although I have not explained this in much detail, there is
a possibility that permanent residence may be granted in the
case where your contribution to Japan in the academic, industrial fields, etc. is recognized, even if your stay in Japan has
been less than 10 years.

10

31

What things do you like about Japan?

What things do you dislike about Japan?

I love Amazake

Salarymen's Black Bags

I am very fond of amazake (a sweet drink

made from fermented rice) because it is soft
to drink. And I like the Japanese autumn
with its beautiful tinted autumnal leaves,
especially the entrance of Mt. Takao at that
time of the year. Also, views from Tokyo
Tower and Roppongi Hills are wonderful.
Shrines and temples are splendid.
Name: Federica CARLOTTO
Country: Italy

Job: Postgraduate Student

Stay in Japan: 2 years

Name: Sanjay Kumar JHA

Country: Nepal
Job: Student

The top-selling record in Japan is Oyoge!

Taiyaki-kun or Swim, Taiyaki-kun! (Taiyaki
is a fish-shaped sweet pancake) sung by
SHIMON Masato in 1975. More than 4.548 milEditorial
lion records were sold. It is believed that Shimon

did not receive any financial benefit from his huge
hit besides a 50,000 yen lump-sum royalty payment.
There are still other beautiful athletes, such as KURIHARA
Megumi, who returned this year to the womens volleyball
scene after recovering from injury, and SUGAYAMA Kaoru,
who gained the nickname Princess Kaoru. UEMURA Aiko, a
competitor in Mogul skiing, should also be among them.

32

Difficult Language

The Japanese language has three scripts:

Hiragana, katakana and kanji. Kanji is too
difficult and widely used everywhere making daily life slightly complex. Kanji should
be supplemented by hiragana / katakana or
English.

Stay in Japan: 8 months

One of the things that I like most about

Japan is its technology. From daily use
equipments to robotics, the technology is
of such a high standard and brings many
conveniences to peoples lives. Japanese
technology is also very famous worldwide
for its high quality and long life.

Japanese Technology

Most Japanese salarymen carry a black

bag. It seems to me that they lack individuality. Also, whenever I enter a restaurant, in
particular izakayas (a Japanese-style bar),
staff will welcome me saying Irrashai
mase in a loud voice. Why do they have to
shout in such loud voices?

1975

454.8 5

Beautiful Athletes Changing the Sporting World

hese days, beautiful athletes

are appearing one after
another in Japanese sports
and their presence is creating a
boom. Beach volleyball idol ASAO
Miwa is among the sportspeople
that viewers are paying much
attention to. At the Japan Tour
held at Tokyos waterfront district
of Odaiba during Golden Week,
the beach volleyball area was so
crowded that extra guards had to be
employed to control the hundreds
of spectators who came to see her.

Tokyo Chunichi Sports Newspaper (above) and Sports Hochi (left)

ARAKAWA Shizuka who won a gold medal at

the Torino Olympic Games, are at the zenith of
their powers.

OGURA Kumiko and SHIOTA Reiko, who are called

Ogushio, are known as a beautiful pair of women and have
brought popularity to the badminton world in Japan. Beautiful
athletes have the power to change minor sports into popular
sports. Now in Japan, female sports are more popular and
receiving more exposure from the media than male sports.

Japans belles of the golf circuit, MIYAZATO Ai and

YOKOMINE Sakura, have been leading the boom with
their charming looks and strong performances. Because of
their presence, female pro-golfers are in the spotlight more
often than the men. Furthermore, the figure-skating world,
which produced ANDO Miki and ASADA Mao as well as

When a beautiful female athlete with a high level of ability appears, the sport will very quickly be spotlighted.
Consequently, the business of providing training for those
children who aim to be the stars of the future will likely
explode, and new, strong and beautiful stars will be born from
among them. It can definitely be said that beautiful athletes
are the magic charms of the sporting world.

33

Collectors Keep Old Records

Spinning in Tokyo

n between lighting up a cigarette, serving a double scotch

and pulling a few pints of Guinness, ENDO Hiroyuki
somehow manages to slip a record onto one of his decks
and gently lower the needle. As Jimi HENDRIXs guitar
on Little Wing begins to fade out, Endo flicks a switch and
propels the music forward 25 years to Blurs Parklife.

25

UK

October is one of many bars that have sprung up in Tokyo

which serve as havens for people who want a place to chill out
listening to good vinyl, and which along with the citys hundreds
of record stores seem to suggest that interest in records and
record collecting is very much alive in Tokyo.

1960

LP

At October, Endos largely

counter-only bar buried in the
web of backstreets leading away
from Koenji Station, Endo keeps
an eclectic collection of several
thousand singles and LPs that run
the gamut from 1960s Garage and
ENDO Hiroyuki
Freakbeat to Weird Al YANKOVIC

and that include gems such as a
Chinese punk cover of the Sex
Pistols Anarchy in the UK, a contender
for the strangest record in his collection.
They cant pronounce the words, Endo
says holding up the records distinctly
communist art-influenced sleeve. Crazy.

When it comes to record shopping Tokyo is a record

collectors dream, says October regular and
record collector Kirk DANBY as he sits at
Endos counter sipping on a pint of Guinness.
You can usually find stuff in great condition
as Japanese people tend to really look after
their records. As for shops, I go everywhere
in search for the missing piece I am looking
for Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ikebukuro, Takadanobaba, Mitaka,
Kichijoji, Koenji all have great shops, he says. Grading
in shops is usually spot on and prices are decent.

October Tel: 03-5306-2924

34

Kirk DANBY

For collectors like Danby and Endo, the Internet also throws
open opportunities. Nowadays, most shops are online, which
opens up endless possibilities as to where to find records,
Danby says. Whether buying at a shop or online, the factors
that determine value are same. Records are valuable in part
due to their rarity, their condition, and what people are willing
to spend on the record, Danby says. Ive seen very rare
records sit in shops for years as nobody is willing to spend the
money on them.

go against the spirit of record collecting, as

Danby explains. If people are buying only to
speculate that the record will increase in price
over the years, I think they are missing the
point of it, he says. Dont buy records to
have them sit on a shelf they are there to
be played.

Every so often record collecting hits the news because

someone is willing to spend a fortune on a rarity a copy of
the Sex Pistols withdrawn version of God Save The Queen
on A&M sold on eBay last year for over 12,000 pounds, while
the lone acetate cut by the Quarrymen before they transformed
themselves into the Beatles is valued at least in the region of
100,000 pounds. For most record collectors such excesses

A&M

1 2

288

10

2,400

With Parklife back in its sleeve and the Pogues LP Red

Roses For Me careering around the bar to the approval of
Pogues collector Kirk Danby, Endo dives into his collection
in response to a request from someone at the far end of the
counter, making sure that vinyl doesnt stop spinning for the
record lovers at October.

LP

Text: Rob GOSS

35

"Listening to it My Way"
Museum with Huge Record Collection
Re . cord Museum

This is a museum that will

teach you about the history of
records. The museum houses
approximately 720,000 records
that have been contributed
from all over Japan dating
up to 2007, and if requested,
you can listen to any of them
through a musical system with
the largest speaker in Japan. Other events such as a concert and a performance
can also be enjoyed. The town is also well known for producing race horses.

2007 72

36

Closed on: Year-end and the beginning of the

year, Mondays, and the day after national
holidays (open during Golden Week and summer
holidays).
Opening hours: 10:00 ~ 17:00
Admission fee: 500 yen
1-4, Aza-Chuo-cho, Niikappu-cho, Niikappu-gun,
Hokkaido

10:00 17:00
500
059-2402

Tel: 0146-45-7833
www.niikappu.jp/record/

37

JAPAN QUIZ

A dish where boiled noodles,

formed from a kind of kneaded flour,
are s e r v e d i n a b r o t h w i t h o t h e r
ingredients.

A dish where boiled noodles, formed

from a kind of kneaded flour, are dipped
in a broth containing chopped seaweed
paper and spring onion before being
eaten.

A kind of soup noodle made from

Chinese-style noodles. One of the most
popular dishes available.

About Japanese Cuisine III

III

Q.: What are these dishes called in

Japanese?

A dish made from Chinese-style

noodles fried with beef and vegetables
and flavored with sauce.

A present will be awarded to everyone

who answers all the questions correctly!
1. Free one-time Hiragana Times party
admission ticket (next month in Tokyo or
Osaka).
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(next issue).
*The above can be used by people besides
yourself.
Send all your answers and the number of the
present (1 or 2) together with your name, sex
and nationality to quiz@hiraganatimes.com
by the end of June 2007.
*Applicants must be non-Japanese. The
answers will be published in the next issue.

2. 1

: quiz@hiraganatimes.com

1. Hiragana Times 1

A dish where
ingredients
s u c h a s
pieces of
s h r i m p ,
squid, and meat are mixed together
with cabbage in a flour mixture and fried
on a hot plate. It's covered with finely
chopped or ground seaweed, bonito fish
flakes and sauce before being eaten.

A dish where
ingredients
like seaweed
and salmon
are placed
over rice and then doused in Japanese
tea.

A dish where pieces of chicken and

spring onions are placed on a skewer
and grilled then dipped in a bitter-sweet
sauce or salt.

1 2

Party held twice a month. Check our website for details!

2
WEB

JAPAN QUIZAnswers: June issue 6

1 3. Mobile phone4. Consumer Loan

38

5. Convenience Store6. Mens Store7. Furniture


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